Written Answers Thursday 18 November 2010

Scottish Executive

Agriculture

Liam McArthur (Orkney) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) farmers and (b) crofters have notified a reduction in their eligible land areas for the purposes of claiming under Single Farm Payment or Less Favoured Area Support schemes since new guidance was issued by ministers in May 2010.

Richard Lochhead: The member has raised the matter of land eligibility for these schemes in previous questions and in correspondence with me. I very much regret, therefore, that I must again remind him that the guidance issued was not new and had been represented to farmers and stakeholders well in advance of the May submission date for the single application forms. What constituted eligibility for these schemes, therefore, before the issue of the guidance and what constituted eligibility afterwards is the same.

  The Scottish Government’s publicity about eligibility, the issue of the notes for guidance and the reminder of the provisions of EU legislation that allowed farmers to correct their claims, together, meant that farmers were given the opportunity to safeguard subsidies that are such a necessary part of their business viability. I was pleased that in excess of 2,000 businesses took this opportunity. I regret that I am not able to provide separate figures for farmers and crofters.

Animal Welfare

Robin Harper (Lothians) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive what monitoring it has undertaken of the (a) effectiveness and (b) implementation of the Snares (Scotland) Order 2010.

Roseanna Cunningham: The Scottish Government has not undertaken any monitoring regarding the (a) effectiveness and (b) implementation of the Snares (Scotland) Order 2010.

Animal Welfare

Robin Harper (Lothians) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive how many reports have been made to the procurators fiscal regarding breaches of the Snares (Scotland) Order 2010.

Roseanna Cunningham: The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) database only records offences under the primary legislation, in this case Section 11 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, and not offences under the Snares (Scotland) Order 2010. We are aware however that at least four individual cases have been reported to the COPFS by police forces for offences under the Snares (Scotland) Order 2010.

Animal Welfare

Robin Harper (Lothians) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people have been convicted of breaching the Snares (Scotland) Order 2010.

Roseanna Cunningham: The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service database only records convictions for offences set out under the primary legislation, in this case Section 11 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, and not offences under the Snares (Scotland) Order 2010.

Animal Welfare

Robin Harper (Lothians) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive what penalties have been imposed on people convicted of breaching the Snares (Scotland) Order 2010.

Roseanna Cunningham: The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service database only records penalties imposed for offences under the primary legislation, in this case Section 11 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, and not offences under the Snares (Scotland) Order 2010.

Animal Welfare

Robin Harper (Lothians) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has carried out or will carry out research into the use of snares.

Roseanna Cunningham: The Scottish Government does not intend to carry out any research into the use of snares. The Scottish Government will however monitor research carried out by the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust and others, and, where appropriate, implement improvements in snaring techniques that enhance animal welfare.

Animal Welfare

Robin Harper (Lothians) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has sought information from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) regarding the progress of its research project, Determining the Extent of Use and Humaneness of Snares in England and Wales.

Roseanna Cunningham: The Scottish Government has been in regular contact with DEFRA regarding the progress of its research project, Determining the Extent of Use and Humaneness of Snares in England and Wales.

Animal Welfare

Robin Harper (Lothians) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware of research into the impact of snares on animal welfare commissioned by the charity, OneKind, from the University of Cambridge Centre for Animal Welfare and Anthropozoology.

Roseanna Cunningham: The Scottish Government received the report The Impact of Snares on Animal Welfare on 5 November 2010. The report appears to be a partial literature review. It does not contain any new research on snaring and it has not been peer reviewed.

Animal Welfare

Robin Harper (Lothians) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive to what extent it considers the shooting industry depends on the use of snares for its continued viability and what the basis is of its position on this matter.

Robin Harper (Lothians) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive what impact it estimates a ban on snares would have on the value to the economy of the shooting industry and what the basis is of its estimate.

Roseanna Cunningham: A joint industry briefing document The Consequence of a Snaring Ban for Rural Scotland published by the British Association for Shooting and Conservation, the Scottish Gamekeepers Association, National Farmers Union Scotland, Scottish Estates Business Group, Scottish Rural Property and Business Association and the National Sheep Association in 2008, clearly sets out how controlling predators such as foxes is vital to the shooting industry and that snaring is in some circumstances the only tool available for such control.

Animal Welfare

Robin Harper (Lothians) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive to what extent it considers the hill farming industry depends on the use of snares for its continued viability and what the basis is of its position on this matter.

Roseanna Cunningham: The Scottish Government shares the view of Jonathan Hall, Head of Rural Policy at the National Farmers Union Scotland, who gave evidence at the Rural Affairs and Environment Committee meeting held at Langholm on 7 September 2010 in relation to the Wildlife and Natural Environment (Scotland) Bill. Mr Hall stated that "The hill farming view on snaring is that it remains an absolutely vital tool in protecting livestock, particularly lambs around lambing time, from fox predation and so on." and "The loss of snaring would have extremely adverse consequences for hill farming in particular".

Animal Welfare

Robin Harper (Lothians) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive what impact it estimates a ban on snares would have on the value to the economy of hill farming and what the basis is of its position on this matter.

Roseanna Cunningham: The Scottish Government shares the view of Jonathan Hall, Head of Rural Policy at the National Farmers Union Scotland, who gave evidence at the Rural Affairs and Environment Committee Committee meeting held at Langholm on 7 September 2010 in relation to the Wildlife and Natural Environment (Scotland) Bill Bill. Mr Hall stated that hill farms are the most marginal in their economic viability, and the impact at critical times of predators contributes to abandonment, because it gets to the point where it becomes unsustainable to keep people and sheep on that land.

Animal Welfare

Robin Harper (Lothians) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has carried out research to establish which EU member states prohibit the use of neck snares and, if so, what information it has gathered.

Roseanna Cunningham: The Scottish Government has not carried out any research to establish which EU member states prohibit the use of neck snares.

  We are aware that other countries, including Spain, Belguim, France and Ireland, allow the use of snares for predator control. Other countries use alternative forms of trapping, including leg and foot traps, which are illegal in Scotland.

Animal Welfare

Robin Harper (Lothians) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on the extent to which the snaring training courses run by the (a) Scottish Gamekeepers Association, (b) Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust and (c) British Association for Shooting and Conservation adequately address the issue of the welfare of animals caught in snares.

Roseanna Cunningham: The Scottish Government has been involved in drafting the content of the courses currently being run by (a) Scottish Gamekeepers Association, (b) Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust and (c) British Association for Shooting and Conservation and is content that the snaring courses adequately address the issue of the welfare of animals caught in snares. When the Wildlife and Natural Environment Bill comes into force, the Scottish Government will lay an order before Parliament setting out the content of the training course.

Animal Welfare

Robin Harper (Lothians) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive what independent animal welfare content it is aware of in the snaring training courses run by the (a) Scottish Gamekeepers Association, (b) Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust and (c) British Association for Shooting and Conservation.

Robin Harper (Lothians) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has evidence that the Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is satisfied with the animal welfare content of the snaring training courses run by the (a) Scottish Gamekeepers Association, (b) Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust and (c) British Association for Shooting and Conservation.

Roseanna Cunningham: The Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals were involved in meetings with the Scottish Gamekeepers Association, the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust, the British Association for Shooting and Conservation, and the Scottish Government, and had a significant input into animal welfare issues relating to the content of the snaring training courses run by these organisations. Mike Flynn, Chief Superintendent of the SSPCA gave evidence at the Rural Affairs and Environment Committee meeting held at Langholm on 7 September 2010 in relation to the Wildlife and Natural Environment (Scotland) Bill and stated that he was satisfied that any snare operator following the training courses would be compliant with the law in this respect.

Business Rates

Cathy Jamieson (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many sub-post offices receive small business rates relief, broken down by local authority area.

John Swinney: Sub-post offices may be eligible for a discounted business rates bill under various reliefs, including the Small Business Bonus Scheme or the targeted Rural Rate Relief for post offices.

  However, the number of individual sub-post offices in receipt of business rates relief is not held centrally.

Care of Elderly People

Michael Matheson (Falkirk West) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many staff in each local authority are involved in providing care for older people.

Adam Ingram: Number
Whole Time Equivalent


Aberdeen City
520
153


Aberdeenshire
313
214


Angus
247
177


Argyll and Bute
298
228


Clackmannashire
85
57


Dumfries and Galloway
0
0


Dundee City
188
159


East Ayrshire
59
52


East Dunbartonshire
0
0


East Lothian
209
128


East Renfrewshire
83
68


Edinburgh, City of
562
442


Eilean Siar
228
162


Falkirk
229
192


Fife
479
419


Glasgow
655
552


Highland
495
395


Inverclyde
30
23


Midlothian
156
115


Moray
17
8


North Ayrshire
151
128


North Lanarkshire
285
230


Orkney Islands
260
206


Perth and Kinross
161
127


Renfrewshire
239
186


Scottish Borders
296
196


Shetland Islands
356
234


South Ayrshire
128
70


South Lanarkshire
499
409


Stirling
130
111


West Dunbartonshire
267
222


West Lothian
300
223


Scotland
7925
5885



  Note: The figures provided are for staff who are specifically identified as working in "services for older people" and are employed by the local authority. There will be others who work with all client groups as part of their duties, including older people.

  Source: Local Authority Social Work Services Staffing Census 2009.

  The figures do not include staff who work in the private and voluntary sectors as they are not included in this census.

Carers

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the level of local authority funding for carers centres was in (a) 2008-09, (b) 2009-10 and (c) 2010-11.

Shona Robison: Local authorities’ net expenditure on support for carers, including respite care was £134.74 million in 2008-09. The figure for 2009-10 will be available early in 2011 and that for 2010-11 will be available in 2012. The figures for 2004-05, 2005-06 and 2006-07 are £93.987 million, £109.001 million and £100 million respectively. These figures are not broken down to show the level of funding to carers centres but do show a significant increase in net expenditure on support for carers.

Climate Change

Cathy Peattie (Falkirk East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive on what date it will publish the public engagement strategy required under the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009.

Stewart Stevenson: The public engagement strategy required under the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009 will be published by 31 December 2010.

Education

Ken Macintosh (Eastwood) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what criteria were used to award the contract for the additional support needs national advocacy service and whether this included having experience of representing parents or families at the Additional Support Needs Tribunal.

Adam Ingram: The Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2009 places a legal duty on Scottish Ministers to secure the provision of an advocacy service to be available on request and free of charge to support parents and young people in tribunal proceedings. The Scottish Government decided to run a competitive tendering process to identify one or more organisations which would be awarded a grant to run a suitably specified national advocacy service.

  All applications were assessed individually and then collectively by an assessment panel. Applications were assessed on the basis of the information provided in the application form. Each question was scored and then a weighting applied to that score to produce a final mark. The questions and assessment criteria covered:

  General operation and financial position of organisation;

  Promotion of equal opportunities;

  Information on the operation, management and location of the service;

  Ability to deliver the service within the maximum of £100,000 per annum;

  Detailed timetable of activities for first year of operation and outline arrangements for years two and three;

  Explanation of how proposed service fits with organisation’s current aims and objectives;

  Knowledge, experience and skills of staff and organisation;

  Detailed information on how the organisation would deliver service including initial assessment; referral routes; closure of cases; how advocacy would be provided; capacity to deliver a national and fully inclusive service; how the provider would deliver both lay and legal elements of the service; freedom from conflicts of interest; and accountability to service users;

  Training and development for staff;

  Partnership working;

  Information and awareness programme; and

  Quality assurance.

  Applicants were also required to provide copies of their health and safety policy; equal opportunities policy; confidentiality policy and environmental policy as well as confirming that all staff involved in the project would have Disclosure Scotland reports prior to commencement of the service.

Education

Ken Macintosh (Eastwood) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what arrangements are in place to assist families in receipt of support from the advocacy service provided by Independent Special Education Advice (Scotland) for whom a tribunal has yet to be set or will be held after 14 November 2010.

Ken Macintosh (Eastwood) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has transitional arrangements in place to assist families in receipt of support from the advocacy service provided by Independent Special Education Advice (Scotland) for whom a tribunal has yet to be set or will be held after 14 November 2010.

Rhona Brankin (Midlothian) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many children with additional support needs have co-ordinated support plans.

Adam Ingram: A co-ordinated support plan is an educational plan which involves, and notes the commitments by, other agencies in providing significant additional support to enable a child or young person to benefit from education.

  In September 2009, out of a total of 44,176 pupils in special schools and those with additional support needs in mainstream schools, 3,201 had a co-ordinated support plan. This information is publicly available in Pupils in Scotland 2009 at:

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2009/11/05112711/11.

Education

Rhona Brankin (Midlothian) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware of any recent reductions in the number of staff who support pupils with additional support needs.

Adam Ingram: The term additional support needs applies to children or young people who, for whatever reason, require additional support, long or short term, to help them to make the most of their learning. The Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004 places a duty on education authorities to identify, meet and keep under review the additional support needs of all pupils for whom they are responsible, and to tailor provision according to their individual needs. They will be supported, where necessary, by appropriate agencies such as Health Boards, Skills Development Scotland and other education authorities.

  There are, therefore, potentially a significant number of individuals who support pupils with additional support needs, including all teachers across Scotland. There are, however, some individuals who have a particular focus on pupils with additional support needs and the relevant data from the last two Teachers in Scotland reports provides this information.

  

 
2008
2009


Teachers in Publicly Funded Special Schools
1,982
1,884


Support Staff in Publicly Funded Special Schools
2,094
2,045


Additional Support Needs Teachers in Primary Schools
857
884


Support Staff in Primary Schools (Additional Support Needs Auxiliary or Care Assistant)
3,404
3,191


Additional Support Needs Teachers in Secondary Schools
1,443
1,534


Support Staff in Secondary Schools (Additional Support Needs Auxiliary or Care Assistant)
1,705
1,847


Additional Support Needs Teachers Centrally Employed
160
289

Education

Ken Macintosh (Eastwood) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what transitional arrangements have been put in place to transfer the services provided by Independent Special Education Advice (Scotland) to the new national advocacy service contractor for additional support needs.

Adam Ingram: The Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2009 places a legal duty on Scottish Ministers to secure the provision of an advocacy service to be available on request and free of charge to support parents and young people in tribunal proceedings. The Scottish Government decided to run competitive tendering exercise to identify one or more organisations who would be awarded a grant to run a suitably specified national advocacy service.

  The new service will be provided by Barnardo’s in partnership with the Scottish Child Law Centre. The Scottish Government currently provides funding to Independent Special Education Advice (ISEA) (Scotland) to provide independent advocacy and representation for young people and parents of children with additional support needs.

  It is a condition of ISEA’s grant that they will work with the Scottish Government to ensure minimal disruption in the service provided to parents and young people during the transition to the new national advocacy service and funding will be provided to both ISEA and to Barnardo’s, in partnership with the Scottish Child Law Centre, throughout November 2010 to support transition arrangements. Barnardo’s, in partnership with the Scottish Child Law Centre, will be accepting new references from 14 November 2010 or existing cases on transfer from ISEA and have met with ISEA to discuss transition arrangements.

Education

Ken Macintosh (Eastwood) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the value of the annual award is for the new national advocacy service contractor for additional support needs and how long this award has been made for.

Adam Ingram: The Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2009 places a legal duty on Scottish Ministers to secure the provision of an advocacy service to be available on request and free of charge to support parents and young people in tribunal proceedings. The Scottish Government decided to run a competitive tendering exercise to identify one or more organisations which would be awarded a grant to run a suitably specified national advocacy service. The grant was to a maximum of £100,000 per annum with the exception of year one which will be a part year.

  The new service will be provided by Barnardo’s in partnership with the Scottish Child Law Centre. Their provisional costs are just over £40,000 for year one, covering  five months of operation, and just under £100,000 per annum in years two and three. While no final decision has been taken the contract is likely to be considered for retendering in 2013.

Education

Ken Macintosh (Eastwood) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many applications were received to deliver the new national advocacy service contract for additional support needs.

Adam Ingram: The Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2009 places a legal duty on Scottish Ministers to secure the provision of an advocacy service to be available on request and free of charge to support parents and young people in tribunal proceedings. The Scottish Government decided to run competitive tendering exercise to identify one or more organisations who would be awarded a grant to run a suitably specified national advocacy service.

  Expressions of interest for the new service were invited on 14 April 2010 and application packs issued on 30 April 2010 with a deadline of 11 June 2010. Eight applications were received.

  The new service will be provided by Barnardo’s in partnership with the Scottish Child Law Centre.

Education

Ken Macintosh (Eastwood) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive on what date the organisation chosen to deliver the new national advocacy service contract for additional support needs was informed that it had been successful.

Adam Ingram: The new Additional Support Needs National Advocacy Service will be delivered by a partnership between Barnardo’s and the Scottish Child Law Centre.

  Barnardo’s, who submitted the application on behalf of the partners, were informed that the application had been successful on 15 October 2010. A meeting was held with both Barnardo’s and the Scottish Child Law Centre on 21 October 2010 to discuss the establishment of the new service and transition arrangements. Unsuccessful applicants were informed on 25 October 2010.

Education

Ken Macintosh (Eastwood) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive for what reason the procurement process for the new national advocacy service contract for additional support needs took until the end of October 2010 to come to a decision when applicants were informed that this would be made in July 2010.

Adam Ingram: The Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2009 places a legal duty on Scottish Ministers to secure the provision of an advocacy service to be available on request and free of charge to support parents and young people in Tribunal proceedings. The Scottish Government decided to run competitive tendering exercise to identify one or more organisations which would be awarded a grant to run a national advocacy service.

  Expressions of interest for the new service were invited on 14 April 2010 and application packs issued on 30 April 2010 with a deadline of 11 June 2010. Initially it was hoped that a decision on the successful applicant would be made in August 2010, however, it proved difficult to find a suitable date for the assessment panel to meet. The panel met on 24 September 2010. The successful applicants were informed of the outcome on 15 October 2010 while unsuccessful applicants were informed on 25 October 2010.

  The new service will be provided by Barnardo’s in partnership with the Scottish Child Law Centre.

Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004

Rhona Brankin (Midlothian) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will review the Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004.

Adam Ingram: The Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2009 which was commenced on 14 November 2010 builds on and strengthens the Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004.

  In November 2007, Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Education (HMIE) published a report, commissioned by the Scottish Government, on the evaluation of the implementation of the Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004. In May 2009, ministers asked HMIE to undertake a review to consider how the 2004 Act affects children and young people who are looked after; are young carers; have mental health disorders or have a sensory impairment.

  As part of their general inspection programme HMIE continue to review and report on provision for children with additional support needs in all schools across Scotland.

Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004

Rhona Brankin (Midlothian) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to ensure that the Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004 is being implemented in a consistent way across Scotland.

Adam Ingram: The Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2009 builds on, and amends, the Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004. The 2004 Act provides the legal framework which underpins the system for identifying and addressing the additional support needs of children and young people who face barriers to learning.

  The Scottish Government published an updated code of practice, supporting children’s learning in August 2010. The code explains the duties on education authorities and other agencies to support children and young people’s learning and provides guidance on the Act’s provisions.

  An implementation group of expert professionals and stakeholders was established in December 2009 to provide advice and to support the implementation of the 2009 Act. Working in partnership with that implementation group the Scottish Government has produced some key documents to support implementation, which have been circulated to all local authorities, and held two information seminars. Learning and Teaching Scotland have also worked with the group to develop a range of materials to assist practitioners and Enquire have produced updated information for parents and young people. This work will support and complement the information and training being delivered at a local level.

  The 2004 Act includes provisions for resolving disputes where they arise. The Act makes provision for mediation services and arrangements for external independent adjudication as well as providing parents and young people with the right to refer particular matters to the Additional Support Needs Tribunals for Scotland. Following an open recruitment process new members and conveners have been appointed to the tribunals and to the list of independent adjudicators.

Environment

Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what existing mechanisms there are for restoring the natural environment.

Roseanna Cunningham: Restoring the natural environment is a very broad aim which may feature within the objectives of a wide range of bodies in the public voluntary and private sectors. There is a correspondingly wide range of mechanisms by which it may be achieved. It would not be practical to list these comprehensively. Examples of public sector programmes and policies which might have particular relevance include those relating to pollution control, land use planning; agri-environment measures, the marine management regime, forestry management, the protected area regime and habitat creation.

Environment

Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what mechanisms there are to support the restoration of ecosystem function.

Roseanna Cunningham: Restoration of ecosystem function is a very broad objective. There is a very wide range of ecosystem types and a correspondingly diverse range of mechanisms which are potentially relevant to restoration of ecosystem function. It would not be practical to attempt a comprehensive listing of all such mechanisms. Examples might include measures which contribute to restoring soil structure, atmospheric quality, forest cover, ocean chemistry, dark skies, species populations or habitat structure and extent. Each of these might be advanced through a diverse range of mechanisms such as pollution control, land use planning; agri-environment measures, the marine management regime, forestry management, the protected area regime and habitat creation.

Environment

Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to ensure that the ecological coherence of protected areas is improved in the terrestrial environment.

Roseanna Cunningham: A wide range of action is being taken by the Scottish Government and agencies, which can be gathered under three headings, information, trials and pilots, and large-scale ecological coherence proposals.

  Information is a critical element in improving ecological coherence as we need to translate the overall concept into practical land use and management changes. A partnership of Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH), the Forestry Commission and Forest Research has led in producing such a tool (generally referred to as BEETLE) and Forest Research has undertaken a number of contracts to provide this information for specific projects.

  There have been a number of trials and pilots in specific areas to test the concepts and practicality of improving ecological coherence. For example, in 2006 Forestry Commission Scotland, SNH and Highland Birchwoods collaborated on a woodland establishment incentive, Highland Locational Premium. This provided incentives in proportion to the additional ecological coherence created by paying for increases in the size of native woodland ecological networks.

  The Scottish Government’s National Planning Framework 2 identifies two projects of national status. The first of these is the Central Scotland Green Network, a project which includes ecological coherence within a wider spread of objectives. The second action is to develop a National Ecological Network.

Environment

Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what funding is available specifically to improve the ecological coherence of areas of importance to nature conservation.

Roseanna Cunningham: There are relevant funding opportunities through the Scotland Rural Development Programme, under a wide range of Rural Priorities options available under Axis 2 for the improvement and management of habitats.

Environment

Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether support is available to the owners or managers of non-designated land to fund biodiversity improvements that would benefit the ecological coherence and integrity of adjacent or neighbouring designated areas and, if so, what the nature of that support is.

Roseanna Cunningham: There are relevant funding opportunities through the Scotland Rural Development Programme, under a wide range of Rural Priorities options available under Axis 2 for the improvement and management of habitats.

Finance

Ms Wendy Alexander (Paisley North) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the statement on an SNP website, what its position is on how an independent Scotland would "easily support any financial rescue".

John Swinney: With independence, Scotland would be able to choose the right policy responses to suit its particular circumstances. The recent global financial crisis affected countries large and small. Norway, for example, managed its own banking crisis in the early 1990s, in the end emerging with a more resilient financial sector via a process under which the government actually made money on its investment in the banks. When the global crisis deepened in late 2008, Norway was able to offer securitised bonds totalling more than £33 billion should its banks have needed them.

Health

Bill Kidd (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to improve the provision of and access to occupational health services.

Nicola Sturgeon: The Scottish Government, through the Partnership Information Network (PIN) policies, sets the minimum standard NHSScotland boards must meet when providing support for staff with health issues. The PIN policy "Managing Health at Work" makes clear that it is crucially important that staff have access to competent occupational health services.

  Earlier this year the Scottish Government and the Management Steering Group of NHS Scotland established the Occupational Health and Safety Strategic Forum. As part of its remit, I have asked the Forum to develop a new strategic framework for occupational health and safety provision for staff within NHSScotland, to replace the current strategy, Towards a Safer, Healthier Workplace, published in 1999.

  This strategic framework will provide an opportunity to confirm our commitment to a person centred approach towards health, wellbeing and safety at work, ensuring all staff are well supported by an integrated strategy that adds value to existing occupational health and safety policies and services.

Highlands and Islands Airports

Alasdair Allan (Western Isles) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made on the policy and financial management review of Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd.

Stewart Stevenson: Following a tender exercise in May 2008, Quayle Munro (QM) was chosen to conduct the Policy and Financial Management Review (PFMR) of HIAL.

  QM was tasked to consider the following:

  the best future delivery model for the functions currently carried out by HIAL;

  company performance since 1999;

  the internal structures of HIAL;

  the government/HIAL working relationship, and

  working relations with other stakeholders.

  A joint HIAL/Scottish Government Steering Group was formed to guide the Review and the work of QM. QM’s final report was presented to the Scottish Government in April 2009 and a copy has been provided to the Scottish Parliament’s Information Centre (Bib number 52068).

  The most significant conclusions from QM’s work were that:

  HIAL’s current status as a public corporation is best in moving forward on the basis that it affords the Scottish Government an appropriate and cost effective level of control over air service provision in the Highlands and Islands;

  the company should be afforded more flexibility on certain pay and staffing matters;

  a review of operating costs, subsidy levels and potentially categorisation should be conducted for Wick and Campbeltown Airports;

  the potential for operational efficiencies at Scatsta and Sumburgh Airports should be reviewed, and

  consideration should be given to HIAL bringing Highlands and Islands local authority owned airports into the group.

  For the reasons provided by QM, we agree with the conclusion that HIAL should remain a Public Corporation.

  On more flexibility for the company on pay policy, we agree that this would be a reasonable consideration for the company and whilst it would be free to present a business case, it should be clarified that ministers are not minded at this point to remove from public sector pay policy rules those Scottish public bodies which they currently apply to.

  Ministers remain committed to Wick and Campbeltown having appropriate transport connections. Whilst it is appropriate for HIAL to consider costs, subsidy levels and value for money at these airports, ministers believe that when considering the remoteness of the areas they serve and the lengthy surface connections which are often involved, their mainland status should not be a factor in any analysis or decisions taken.

  The Scottish Government’s full response to the conclusions in QM’s report has been provided to the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 52068).

  We will now draw-up an action plan in consultation with HIAL covering those conclusions agreed.

Housing

Mary Mulligan (Linlithgow) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive in what ways the Scottish Social Housing Charter will differ from the Performance Standards for social landlords and homelessness functions.

Alex Neil: Performance standards for social landlords and homelessness functions are statutory guidance that ministers issued under section 79(1) of the Housing (Scotland) Act 2001 (the 2001 Act). They were developed in consultation with COSLA and the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations and provide a framework for the current Scottish Housing Regulator to assess the performance of social landlords and for landlords to assess their own performance.

  The Housing (Scotland) Bill will repeal Section 79 of the 2001 Act and replace the performance standards with the Scottish Social Housing Charter, for which sections 31-33 of the Bill make provision.

  Section 33 of the Bill requires Scottish Ministers, before preparing the charter, to consult a wider range of stakeholders than was involved in developing the performance standards. These stakeholders include tenants, homeless persons and other users of housing services, as well as social landlords. The charter will provide the framework for the new, independent Scottish Housing Regulator to monitor, assess and report on (and where necessary intervene in) social landlords’ performance of housing activities. This provides a clear separation between setting standards (the role of ministers) and assessing performance against those standards (the role of the independent regulator).

  The involvement of service users and others, as well as landlords, in developing the charter is one of the most important ways in which it differs from the performance standards. Another is that the charter can set outcomes as well as standards. This will enable the charter to be cast in terms that will encourage social landlords to concentrate on the results that they should be delivering for tenants, homeless people and other service users. The Bill requires the regulator to monitor, assess and report annually on landlords’ performance against the charter and provides it with powers to intervene where a landlord is failing, or at risk of failing, to achieve the outcomes in the charter.

Housing

Mary Mulligan (Linlithgow) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consult on the powers of the Scottish Housing Regulator to issue performance targets to housing associations contained in the Housing (Scotland) Bill.

Alex Neil: The Scottish Government will not consult on the powers of the new, independent Scottish Housing Regulator to issue performance targets to social landlords (local authorities and registered social landlords) in the Housing (Scotland) Bill. The Bill, by requiring the regulator to consult on and publish a statement on the performance of its functions, including its powers to set performance improvement targets for social landlords, places the duty to consult in respect of these matters on the regulator. There is also a specific duty on the regulator to consult before it issues a performance improvement target.

Housing

Jamie Hepburn (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many homes for social let owned by a (a) local authority and (b) registered social landlord have been completed in each year since 1999, broken down by (i) Scottish Parliament constituency and (ii) local authority area.

Alex Neil: The number of local authority homes completed in each year since 1996-97 is published on the Scottish Government website by local authority area. All of these homes are for social rent. The following is a link to this data:

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Housing-Regeneration/HSfS/NewBuildLA

  The number of housing association homes built for social rent over the past decade is shown in the following table by local authority area. Figures for 1999 are not shown as the time series is only available on a consistent basis from 2000-01.

  Information on new build for social rent by Scottish Parliamentary constituency area is not held centrally.

  Housing Association New Build - Completions for Social Rent by Local Authority Area

  

Local Authority
2000-01
2001-02
2002-03
2003-04
2004-05
2005-06
2006-07
2007-08
2008-09
2009-10


Aberdeen City
40
142
39
35
47
128
7
100
28
42


Aberdeenshire
24
183
160
111
198
207
77
62
136
322


Angus
131
36
107
69
95
43
40
108
75
68


Argyll & Bute
131
54
 
81
47
85
59
104
109
27


Clackmannanshire
16
44
28
58
20
27
34
 
1
46


Dumfries and Galloway
57
178
60
128
81
141
63
238
154
88


Dundee City
114
309
91
145
299
328
 
110
278
91


East Ayrshire
 
60
36
 
6
10
30
72
125
176


East Dunbartonshire
16
49
 
4
7
142
 
26
42
26


East Lothian
46
27
 
30
133
35
51
80
42
71


East Renfrewshire
30
41
30
 
19
46
37
 
20
89


Edinburgh, City of
295
400
288
183
389
398
382
462
208
419


Eilean Siar
21
20
13
 
19
53
21
41
66
39


Falkirk
14
45
81
16
4
 
61
 
31
65


Fife
122
164
151
111
81
190
242
201
295
154


Glasgow City
920
971
938
1,161
798
941
821
731
689
850


Highland
116
127
132
135
110
108
178
277
265
263


Inverclyde
152
101
69
87
91
117
8
42
85
283


Midlothian
28
 
31
26
 
9
16
12
38
10


Moray
6
 
26
2
55
158
34
90
39
82


North Ayrshire
87
8
76
71
71
79
64
125
66
84


North Lanarkshire
178
159
237
142
28
406
82
62
226
164


Orkney
14
35
23
 
55
13
32
27
25
24


Perth and Kinross
166
148
112
153
142
84
46
113
131
271


Renfrewshire
163
138
136
78
165
278
98
114
80
109


Scottish Borders, The
79
61
58
41
79
50
46
67
69
34


Shetland
 
16
13
 
4
 
33
12
31
64


South Ayrshire
61
64
163
42
92
19
68
62
42
207


South Lanarkshire
101
138
162
100
277
136
142
131
229
274


Stirling
59
8
78
61
67
47
 
124
118
64


West Dunbartonshire
169
146
116
110
121
240
51
48
51
78


West Lothian
57
128
50
45
165
10
64
85
103
165


Scotland
3,413
4,000
3,504
3,225
3,765
4,528
2,887
3,726
3,897
4,749



  Source – Affordable Housing Investment Programme.

Housing

Sarah Boyack (Edinburgh Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many residential properties there are in the private rented sector, broken down by local authority area.

Alex Neil: The Scottish Government estimates that there are around 250,400 occupied residential properties in the private rented sector and this equates to just over 10% of occupied dwellings in Scotland. A breakdown of this figure by local authority area is shown in the following table.

  Estimated Occupied Properties in the Private Rented Sector 2009, by Local Authority area

  

Local Authority
Properties (,000s)


Aberdeen City
15.8


Aberdeenshire
9.3


Angus
5.5


Argyll and Bute
4.2


Clackmannanshire
1.7


Dumfries and Galloway
7.7


Dundee City
12.5


East Ayrshire
4.5


East Dunbartonshire
2.1


East Lothian
4.3


East Renfrewshire
1.7


Edinburgh, City of
44.1


Eilean Siar
0.5


Falkirk
4.5


Fife
15.3


Glasgow City
33.8


Highland
9.2


Inverclyde
2.9


Midlothian
2.1


Moray
3.6


North Ayrshire
4.5


North Lanarkshire
7.5


Orkney Islands
1.1


Perth and Kinross
9.5


Renfrewshire
6.2


Scottish Borders, The
7.6


Shetland Islands
0.4


South Ayrshire
4.4


South Lanarkshire
12.0


Stirling
4.5


West Dunbartonshire
1.9


West Lothian
5.5


Scotland
250.4

Justice

James Kelly (Glasgow Rutherglen) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how it intends to take forward the recommendations of the Independent Review of Sheriff and Jury Procedure.

Kenny MacAskill: The Scottish Government is considering the recommendations of the Independent Review of Sheriff and Jury Procedure and will respond publicly in the coming months.

  Some recommendations would require changes to legislation to be implemented, and those will need to be addressed by the next government in the forthcoming parliamentary session. Others do not require legislative change and can be implemented through improvements to working practice. The Scottish Government will work with criminal justice partners to pursue these improvements over the course of 2011.

Local Government Finance

Joe FitzPatrick (Dundee West) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what impact it considers the decision of HM Treasury to increase interest rates on new loans from the Public Works Loan Board to an average of 1% above UK Government gilts will have on the ability of Scottish local authorities to borrow.

John Swinney: The United Kingdom Government is directly cutting Scotland's resources by £1.3 billion next year. The decision to increase the interest rates on loans offered to councils by the Public Works Loan Board is an additional handicap. By putting even more pressure on local authority budgets, it reduces their capacity to invest in a wide range of infrastructure projects, including on schools, roads, housing and flood prevention schemes.

Local Government Finance

Joe FitzPatrick (Dundee West) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how it considers tax incremental financing projects in Scotland will be affected by the decision of HM Treasury to increase interest rates on new loans from the Public Works Loan Board to an average of 1% above UK Government gilts.

John Swinney: The United Kingdom Government is directly cutting Scotland's resources by £1.3 billion next year. The decision to increase the interest rates on loans offered to councils by the Public Works Loan Board is an additional handicap. This will increase the overall cost of tax incremental financing projects and also increase the time period over which non domestic rate receipts will repay the associated borrowing. While this will impact on the value for money of each project, the impact will vary from project to project.

Local Government Finance

Joe FitzPatrick (Dundee West) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what impact it considers the decision of HM Treasury to increase interest rates on new loans from the Public Works Loan Board to an average of 1% above UK Government gilts will have on council house building in Scotland.

John Swinney: The decision to increase the interest rates on loans offered to councils by the Public Works Loan Board will increase the cost of council house building where this is funded from borrowing. Decisions on the investment in new housing are for individual councils to make, but the increase in interest rates will reduce their capacity to build new homes without increasing rent levels or cutting other costs to compensate.

Local Government Finance

Mary Mulligan (Linlithgow) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the implications are for Scottish local authorities of the change in interest rate payable on loans from the Public Works Loan Board.

John Swinney: The United Kingdom Government is directly cutting Scotland's resources by £1.3 billion next year. The decision to increase the interest rates on loans offered to councils by the Public Works Loan Board is an additional handicap. By putting even more pressure on local authority budgets, it reduces their capacity to invest in a wide range of infrastructure projects, including on schools, roads, housing and flood prevention schemes.

Ministerial Meetings

Andy Kerr (East Kilbride) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth last met COSLA.

John Swinney: I meet representatives of COSLA regularly, and have done so several times in the last few weeks.

Ministerial Travel

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what overseas trips by ministers are (a) booked and (b) planned before May 2011, broken down by (i) minister involved, (ii) purpose and (iii) number of officials expected to attend.

John Swinney: The detailed information requested is currently being collated and I will write to the member as soon as the information is available and a copy will be placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 52066).

Museums

Bill Butler (Glasgow Anniesland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S3W-35045 and S3W-36170 by Fiona Hyslop on 23 July and 16 September 2010 respectively, on what date it plans to publish its report into museum funding.

Fiona Hyslop: I have yet to receive the Museums Think Tank report from its members but expect it to be published shortly. Its remit is not confined to funding but looks broadly at the contribution museums and galleries make to Scotland; how to ensure the correct balance between national, local and independent provision; how to make the best use of resources and considers a sustainable future for Scotland’s industrial collections.

NHS Finance

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what NHS capital projects are legally committed, broken down by NHS board and the value of each project.

Nicola Sturgeon: Legally committed projects form part but not all of the overall capital investment programme for NHSScotland. The following table is based on information received from the relevant NHS board for projects in excess of their delegated limit:

  

NHS Board
Project Name
Capital Value £ million


Dumfries and Galloway
Mental Health Services
27.3


Fife
Cupar Community Health
9.8


Fife
General Hospital and Maternity Services 
170.8


Forth Valley
Equipping of New Acute Hospital
7.0


Grampian
Chalmers Hospital / Health Centre
15.4


Grampian
Foresterhill Energy Centre
12.5


Grampian
Aberdeen Emergency Care Centre
110.0


Greater Glasgow and Clyde
New South Glasgow Hospitals Project – Phase 1 – Laboratories and Facilities Management (Note 1)
89.75


Highland
Migdale Community Hospital
8.3


Highland
Mull and Iona Progressive Care Unit
4.8


Lanarkshire
Airdrie Resource Centre
27.0


Lothian
Midlothian Community Hospital (FBC Addendum)
29.6


Lothian
Musselburgh
18.3


Lothian
Royal Victoria Hospital
43.6


Tayside
Nuclear Medicine, Ninewells
10.4


Tayside
Perth and Kinross Dental Treatment and Training Centre
7.6


Tayside
Equipment - Tayside Mental Health NPD Project
95.0


NSS
Accommodation (Glasgow - Meridian)
6.2


SAS 
Defibrillator Replacement
7.5


SAS 
Vehicle Replacement
25.5


State Hospital 
State Hospital Refurbishment
90.0


National Commitment
Primary Care Modernisation Programme Schemes on site 
11.0


Totals
 
827.35



  Note:

  1. Phase 1 of the New South Glasgow Hospitals Project represents the development of laboratories, facilities management building, new city mortuary and electrical supply for the Southern General site and is legally committed. This project forms part of the £842 million New South Glasgow Hospitals Project to which the Scottish Government is fully committed to delivering.

Non-Domestic Rates

Bob Doris (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made in developing a scheme to incentivise local authorities to improve the collection of non-domestic rates.

John Swinney: Discussions are on-going with COSLA to finalise the details of how the planned Business Rates Incentivisation Scheme will operate. I can confirm that the intention is still to introduce the new arrangements from 1 April 2011.

Planning

Michael McMahon (Hamilton North and Bellshill) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will amend planning regulations in order to help restrict the installation of mobile telephone base stations.

Stewart Stevenson: We have no plans at present to amend the planning legislation relating to base stations for mobile phone networks. Applications for planning permission for mobile phone base stations are a matter for the planning authority in the first instance.

  The Scottish Government’s planning policy on communications infrastructure is contained in Scottish Planning Policy, a copy of which is available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 50437) or can be seen at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2010/02/03132605/0.

Procurement

Bill Butler (Glasgow Anniesland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-36115 by John Swinney on 21 September 2010, when it expects to provide the information requested.

John Swinney: I expect to be in a position to provide the information by the end of November 2010. A copy will also be placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 51647).

Procurement

Jim Hume (South of Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many community planning partnerships have (a) expressed an interest in and (b) committed to participating in the Low Carbon Vehicle Procurement Support Scheme.

Stewart Stevenson: All 32 Scottish Community Planning Partnerships have expressed an interest in and committed to participating in the Low Carbon Vehicle Procurement Support Scheme.

Public Sector Pay

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the cost of performance-related pay to the NHS Executive Managers Cohort was in (a) 2007-08, (b) 2008-09 and (c) 2009-10 and what the cost would have been if the National Performance Management Committee had not limited payments.

Nicola Sturgeon: The pay remits for the Executive and Senior Management cohorts are assessed nationally in accordance with Scottish Government Public Sector Pay Policies:  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Government/public-sector-pay which require aggregated figures. The total pay bill details given below include any costs resulting from staff progressing through their pay ranges based on performance and include all employers’ costs.

  

Year
Total Pay Bill Costs


2007-08
£101,963,089.00


2008-09
£101,934,464.00


2009-10
£100,819,636.00



  The National Performance Management Committee has no responsibility for pay and cannot limit payments.

Renewable Energy

Jamie Stone (Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to ensure that Scotland reaps the maximum benefit from offshore renewable energy.

Jim Mather: Scotland’s Offshore Wind Route Map and the Marine Energy Road Map identify the key actions that the Scottish Government and other key renewable industry stakeholders are currently taking forward so that Scotland can reap the maximum benefit from offshore renewable energy.

Respite Care

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware of local authorities (a) reducing respite services and (b) providing emergency respite services only.

Shona Robison: There has been an increase in overall respite weeks provision across Scotland. Statistics published on 28 September show that the amount of respite provision rose by 8,950 weeks between 2007-08 and 2009-10, exceeding the target of a rise of 6,000 weeks.

  I refer the member to An Official Statistics Publication for Scotland: Respite Care, published on 28 September 2010 which includes information for each local authority on total respite weeks, 2006-07 to 2009-10. Eight authorities have provided less respite weeks in 2009-10 compared with the position in 2007-08 (baseline year). The link is:

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/Recent/Q/Page/6.

  The Carers and Young Carers Strategy, published jointly with COSLA in July, has clear expectations around the provision of innovative, personalised short breaks/respite, preventative support and emergency respite. That is why I announced in the strategy £1 million for short breaks in 2010-11. We have decided to roll this forward, making £5 million in total to 2015. The National Carers Organisations are about to finalise proposals for the use of this funding.

Roads

Murdo Fraser (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the comment of the Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change reported in The Courier of 10 November 2010 that "The A9 is a vital link to north Scotland and the Scottish Government is committed to dualling it, from Perth to Inverness, on a phased basis", when it will set out a timetable for such dualling of the A9.

Stewart Stevenson: Upgrading the A9 remains a priority for this Government and will be undertaken in the context of overall affordability and our commitments to the Strategic Transport Projects Review recommendations.

  Transport Scotland has taken forward detailed planning and design to develop options for dualling the section of the A9 between Birnam and Luncarty and design work on the adjacent northern section between Birnam and the Jubilee Bridge is now also taking place. In addition, a number of improvements have taken place within the current programme at Bankfoot, Carrbridge, Loch Moy and Ralia and work has just started on the 3.2km section dual carriageway extension at Crubenmore.

Rural Affairs

Robin Harper (Lothians) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive what it estimates the value of the shooting industry to be for the economy and on what basis.

Roseanna Cunningham: An independent study The Economic and Environmental Impact of Sporting Shooting prepared by PACEC and published in September 2006, estimated that the value of the shooting industry to the Scottish Economy is worth £240 million each year.

Social Care

Bill Kidd (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many respite weeks Glasgow City Council provided in (a) 2007-08, (b) 2008-09 and (c) 2009-10.

Shona Robison: The information requested is given in Annex 1 on page 13 of An Official Statistics Publication for Scotland: Respite Care, Scotland 2010 published by the Scottish Government on 28 September 2010, a copy of which is available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 52073).

Transport

Charlie Gordon (Glasgow Cathcart) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-37107 by Stewart Stevenson on 3 November 2010, whether work on the transport plan for the 2014 Ryder Cup will include an evaluation of access to Gleneagles station for passengers with a mobility impairment.

Stewart Stevenson: The transport plan will consider a number of strategies to transport spectators to the Ryder Cup. Access via Gleneagles station will be one of those strategies considered. The plan will also evaluate access to the event for mobility impaired spectators. At this stage it is too early to say what the detail of those arrangements may be.

Transport

Charlie Gordon (Glasgow Cathcart) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-37107 by Stewart Stevenson on 3 November 2010, whether work on the transport plan for the 2014 Ryder Cup will include an evaluation of road links serving Gleneagles station.

Stewart Stevenson: Yes. The transport plan will include evaluation of road links serving Gleneagles station, along with all other relevant local and strategic links in the area.

Transport

Charlie Gordon (Glasgow Cathcart) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-37107 by Stewart Stevenson on 3 November 2010, whether work on the transport plan for the 2014 Ryder Cup will include consideration of the reopening of Blackford railway station.

Stewart Stevenson: Transport Scotland have already considered a proposal to reopen Blackford railway station earlier this year as part of their assessment of AECOM's independent review published in April 2010 on behalf of the Campaign to Open Blackford Railway Station Again.

  The assessment concluded that the proposal did not fully integrate with the current and committed operation of the rail network. Due to the close proximity of Gleneagles station, Transport Scotland’s investment hierarchy points to making best use of existing stations and the Ryder Cup transport planning will consider proposed improvements to Gleneagles station rather than reopening Blackford station.

Transport

David Stewart (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to introduce a bus scrappage scheme to enable bus operators to trade in older, polluting buses for new, low-emission vehicles.

Stewart Stevenson: The Scottish Government has no plans to introduce a bus scrappage scheme. In July 2010 we launched the Scottish Green Bus Fund which will provide grants to bus operators for the purchase of low carbon buses. We are currently assessing the bids made for this fund and will announce the results in November.

Transport

Alison McInnes (North East Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what the duration is of Transport Scotland’s contract with the Performance Audit Group.

Stewart Stevenson: The duration of the current Performance Audit Group Commission contract is seven years from 1 December 2009. The previous contract was also for a period of seven years.

Transport

Alison McInnes (North East Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what the cost (a) is of Transport Scotland’s (TS) contract with the Performance Audit Group (PAG) and (b) was of previous contracts for work for TS currently carried out by PAG.

Stewart Stevenson: The estimated cost for the current Performance Audit Group contract is £20 million over the seven year contract period. This represents a £9.1 million reduction over the previous contract for 2002 to 2009, which was for £29.1 million. The cost of the initial contract from 1995 to 2002 was £8.9 million.